31st anniversary progress update
An uncut look on BioForge's 31st birthday: early combat with body-zone hit detection, sparks and explosions, and the first palette-driven lighting effects.
- Done First full play-through
- Now Testing and fixes
- Next Open source release (GPL v3)
ABOUT
Modern recreation of a 90s classic
OpenBioForge is a from-scratch recreation of the BioForge game engine, so that Origin Systems' 1995 sci-fi adventure can be played on modern systems. It's a solo project by Tim Comport, a software engineer in Melbourne, built in his spare time over many years.
The project does not ship with the assets or content required to play BioForge. You must have a legally purchased copy of BioForge in order to run the game using this engine.
Enhanced graphics & physics
Modern rendering with realistic interactions. The original 1995 software renderer is replaced with OpenGL, for sharper, higher-resolution visuals. BioForge's S.A.L.S.A. animation system is kept, with a custom physics engine added for collisions and interactions.
Responsive controls
Fluid movement that feels right. A hybrid locomotion system combines physics-based movement with selective root motion, replacing the original's notoriously clunky controls. Gamepads are fully supported, including analogue sticks.
Scripting and modding
Flexible customisation and modding support. The original BioForge scripts can optionally be deobfuscated and converted to readable C#, opening the door to gameplay changes and new content while staying fully compatible with the original game.
Cross-platform
Lightweight and portable. Built with minimal dependencies, so it runs on Windows and Linux, with macOS in testing. The lightweight architecture keeps performance consistent and leaves room for other platforms later.
HISTORY
Started with a hex editor
From poking around a demo's files in 1995 to a full engine recreation, built from scratch by one person, one file format and one system at a time.
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1995
BioForge is released in the US in March. The story starts with the demo from the May 1995 issue of PC Format, which Tim explores in a hex editor (XTree Gold).
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1999
Malcy releases SALSA, a fan-made viewer for BioForge's skeletal animations with partial support, sharing its name with the game's own System for Animating Lifelike Synthetic Actors. Finding it prompts Tim to dig much deeper into the rest of the game's files.
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2004 to 2006
BioFLX (sound effects and music from FLX archives) and BioModel (characters and items to .obj, with a texture atlas) released on thetechplace in 2004, followed by BioForge Tools in 2006 (Wayback Machine).
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2007 to 2008
Work starts on a full recreation of the engine, initially in C++ (announcement), and continues, slowly, into mid-2008 (last forum post) before tapering off. Links via the Wayback Machine.
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2008 to 2016
A long break while life happens (A Brief History of Tim).
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2016
The engine moves from C++ to C#, first written up in We Create Worlds. Over the next few years it also moves from .NET Framework to .NET Core.
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2019
"Reverse Engineering a Classic Video Game" talks at DDD Melbourne and NDC Sydney.
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2020
An updated version of the talk for NDC Oslo, delivered remotely from Melbourne during the pandemic. Plans for an early GitHub release, mentioned in the talks, gave way to finishing the engine first.
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2021 to 2022
The engine is rearchitected around an entity component system, and work starts on player movement and physics. The project, until now called BioForged, is renamed OpenBioForge, and openbioforge.com is registered.
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2025
30th anniversary showcase in March. Interviewed for a feature in c't magazine, with news coverage in Time Extension.
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2026
First full play-through in August, start to finish, with no workarounds or cheats. Recorded in full in October.
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Early 2027
Public open source release under GPL v3.
SCREENSHOTS
Running in OpenBioForge
Every aspect of the BioForge was designed with technology in mind. You are on a lonely planet because we could not show more than two to three characters on screen at a time. Your body has been operated on because the fledgling skeletal animation technology was too stiff to show smooth human animation.
LATEST
Full play-through, October 2026
BioForge played start to finish in OpenBioForge, with no workarounds or cheats. Uncut, with no commentary, 1 hour 21 minutes.
The first full play-through came together in August 2026. Testing and fixes are now under way, ahead of an open source release under GPL v3.
WATCH VIDEO
WATCH & READ
Behind the scenes
Gameplay, progress updates, and a look at how the original game was taken apart and rebuilt.
30th anniversary showcase
A look at the engine for BioForge's 30th anniversary: enhanced graphics, responsive controls and improved physics.
Reverse Engineering a Classic Video Game
Taking BioForge apart with a hex editor and piecing it back together in C#: file structures, compression, fonts, sound and music, cameras and scripts.
An updated version of the NDC Sydney 2019 talk. Also given at DDD Melbourne 2019.
In the press
- c't Magazin · issue 23/2025 Jäger des verlorenen Codes Feature article covering the project. German, subscription.
- Time Extension · July 2025 OpenBioForge aims to bring Origin Systems' cult classic adventure title "into the modern era" News coverage of the 30th anniversary showcase.
- High Voltage · July 2025 OpenBioForge, moderní port sci-fi adventury BioForge Czech news piece on the showcase.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this a remake?
No. OpenBioForge is a new engine that runs the original game, using the data files from your own copy of BioForge. The story, locations, characters and dialogue are all the original's.
Can I play it the way it was in 1995?
That's the plan. Anything that adds to or changes the original will be optional, so it can all be turned off. Most of the improvements are worth keeping, though.
Do I need the original game?
Yes. No BioForge content is included with OpenBioForge, so you'll need the game's own files. BioForge is available from GOG.com, and the original demo works too, if you'd like to try it first.
When can I play it?
The open source release is planned for early 2027, under GPL v3. The game is already playable start to finish, and the time until then is going into testing and fixes.
What happened to the early GitHub release mentioned in the talks?
The plan changed. Rather than publish a work in progress, the engine is being finished first, so the first release is one you can play from start to finish.
Which platforms will it run on?
Windows and Linux, with macOS in testing. The engine is being kept as portable as possible, so other platforms can follow. A handheld like the Retroid Pocket would be a fun one.
Can I mod it?
Yes. The original scripts can optionally be converted to readable C#, which makes gameplay changes and new content possible.
CREDITS & LEGAL
With thanks
Where it began
- Origin Systems and the BioForge team For making BioForge, directed by Ken Demarest. Its ambitious technology is what made it so interesting to take apart
What it's built on
- The open source community For the libraries the engine builds on, and the countless forum posts, blog articles and repositories that taught so much
Who cheered it on
- Everyone who has been in touch Every email, message, comment and post over the years, from the old project sites in the early 2000s to YouTube, social media and timcomport.com today
Who put up with it
- Family and friends For their patience through all the evenings and weekends lost to BioForge, on and off, for more than thirty years
Disclaimer
This is a fan-made preservation project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Electronic Arts or ORIGIN Systems, Inc.
BioForge and its content are ©Copyright 1995, ORIGIN Systems, Inc. BioForge and Origin Interactive Movie are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Origin and "We create worlds" are registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts.
OpenBioForge is a game engine recreation that requires original BioForge game files to function. No copyrighted content is included with this project. You must own a legally purchased copy of BioForge to use this engine.
BioForge is available for purchase on GOG.com and other authorised retailers.
This project is developed under fair use principles for preservation, education, and interoperability purposes. If you are a rights holder and have concerns about this project, please contact me.